The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Present day current driver circuits used in various electronic applications have somewhat limited flexibility in adapting them to diverse applications. Some applications may require direct current (dc) through resistive loads for ordnance drive. Some applications may require switching current through a combination of inductive and resistor loads for motors and valves or actuators. Often, for certain applications, dual stage current outputs may be desirable or needed. In such instances a plurality of independent current driver circuits may be required to provide the needed current driver capability for the device(s) being controlled. For example, with certain valves and actuators used in aerospace applications, one current drive signal of a first magnitude and/or duration may be required to open/actuate the component while a different signal (typically of lesser current) may be required to maintain the component in its actuated/open position.
Present day current driver systems also typically lack the flexibility to be used with different types of interfaces, and are thus typically configured for use with a specific style of interface (e.g., either serial or parallel). Still further present day current driver systems often lack other various features that enable verifying that control signals sent to the current driver circuit have actually been received and acted on by the current driver system. Such present day systems often do not provide for programming of the exact current turn-on and turn-off points for the current driver system.
All of the foregoing limitations of typical present day current driver systems typically result in more complex and costly systems because no one current driver system provides the desired level of functionality required in many applications. This often necessitates the use of multiple current driver systems. The requirement for using multiple current driver systems also increases the overall weight of the electronics system, as well as increasing the physical space needed for its implementation.